Ecuadorian journalist Juán Sarmiento sentenced to prison for ‘discrediting’ local official
Bogotá, November 20, 2020 – Ecuadorian authorities should not contest journalist Juan Sarmiento’s appeal of a recent criminal conviction for critical comments about a local politician, and the country should remove speech laws from its penal code, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On November 12, the Justice Court of Napo, in central Ecuador,…
Judge orders Colombian outlet Semana TV to remove content, orders investigation
On September 28, 2020, a Colombian judge ordered online broadcaster Semana TV to take down an episode of one of its news programs, and ordered an investigation into how two of the station’s journalists obtained confidential information aired in that episode, according to news reports. The court order, which was made public on October 6…
Brazilian journalist assaulted and threatened over political coverage
At about 2:30 p.m. on October 21, 2020, two men entered the home of journalist José Airton Alves Júnior in the town of Itarema, in Brazil’s northeast Ceará state, punched and kicked him several times, and threatened him, according to news reports and the journalist, who spoke to CPJ in a phone interview. Alves Júnior…
Guatemalan journalist Mario Ortega shot and killed
Los Angeles, November 18, 2020 — Guatemalan authorities must conduct a swift and thorough investigation into the killing of journalist Mario Ortega and hold those responsible to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On November 10, two unidentified individuals shot Ortega outside his home in the southwestern city of San José, according to…
Here’s how Biden can restore US press freedom leadership
In his four years in office, President Trump has made attacking the media a hallmark of his administration. He has called journalists fake news and enemies of the people — but also scum, liars, and bad people. He continues to blame the media for his electoral defeat, accusing journalists of covering his administration unfairly and…
At least 35 journalists injured covering anti-government protests in Peru
Bogotá, November 16, 2020 – Peruvian authorities should ensure that journalists can cover protests safely, and thoroughly investigate attacks on the press by demonstrators and police officers alike, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Police officers attacked members of the press with tear gas, pellets, and other ordnance while they were covering protests following…
Female journalists covering Mexican feminist protests face harsh police response
Lizbeth Hernández, a freelance journalist based in Mexico City, is documenting a rising women’s protest movement against gender-based violence in the country. According to federal data from the Secretariado Ejecutivo del Sistema Nacional de Seguridad Pública (SESNSP), deadly violence against women reached record heights in 2019; more than 1,000 women were murdered because of their gender, an…
Reporter Israel Vázquez shot and killed; third Mexican journalist killed in 2 weeks
Mexico City, November 10, 2020 – Mexican authorities must conduct a swift and thorough investigation into the killing of journalist Israel Vázquez Rangel and redouble their efforts to protect members of the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Yesterday morning, in the central Mexican city of Salamanca, unidentified individuals shot and killed Vázquez,…
Mexican journalist Jesús Alfonso Piñuelas shot and killed in Sonora
Mexico City, November 9, 2020 – The Committee to Protect Journalists called on Mexican authorities today to undertake a swift and credible investigation into the killing of journalist Jesús Alfonso Piñuelas, founder of Zarathustra Press and El Shock de la Noticia, who was shot dead November 2 in Cajeme, in the northern Mexican state of Sonora. According to news reports, Piñuelas,…
Canadian police block reporting on Indigenous land demonstrations
On September 2, 2020, police in Ontario criminally charged Indigenous journalist Karl Dockstader in relation to his reporting on a campaign to oppose a planned housing development in the province’s Haldimand County, he told CPJ by phone. Charges against Dockstader and at least two other Indigenous people who were documenting the campaign were pending in…